Three reviews to help convince your boss about Groundswell

by Josh Bernoff

Last week I asked how we could spread the ideas in groundswell to general business managers who don't yet "get it" -- like your boss.

This week it look like we are getting broader business and consumer press -- just what we need to get the word out.

Three examples.

First, the Financial Times, the business paper of record in the UK, reviewed the book, mostly in a positive way. We like this part:

The resulting book is not so much a manifesto or a dissection of online culture as it is a how-to manual for executives and mid-level managers trying to navigate this fast-changing and often confusing environment.

And this seemed oh-so-British somehow:

What Groundswell lacks in pop culture pizzazz it makes up for in wonkishness.

I've never enjoyed being called a wonk before. All in all a fair and fairly positive review.

Second,  I flew to Washington last week to  do the Diane Rehm show, an NPR radio program carried on 100 stations. This was the most mainstream of all media -- the host's questions and the callers' tended to focus on "why would anybody spend their time doing this stuff." But together with other guests including ning.com CEO Gina Bianchini, we 'splained it as best we could. I was skeptical about the power of a program airing at 11:00 am, but sales spiked right after the show aired so it must have worked. It's such a luxury to be able to express yourself in paragraphs rather than the teeny sound bites you get on programs on CNBC. If you want to know more, you can see a transcript or listen to the audio of the show here.

Finally, we are starting to rack up a pretty significant number of audio and video podcasts. I'd love to list them all but it's hard to keep track. This one, from Marketing Voices and podtech.net, is probably the most highly produced, and I like it (and you can see how Charlene effortlessly connects with the audience while I have to work at it).

Based on the traffic to this site and our microsite there is no dominant source of traffic. We have succeeded so far by trying just about everything. Nearly all the reviews anywhere -- in blogs, on Amazon, in Twitter -- are positive. Word is spreading, but slowly. Should you happen to know the key to unlocking the mass business market, by all means share. We're listening

Comments

[Tom O'Brien]

I feel like the Financial Times might have read my review . . .

Theirs: "The resulting book is not so much a manifesto or a dissection of online culture as it is a how-to manual for executives and mid-level managers trying to navigate this fast-changing and often confusing environment.

Mine: "Groundswell is the long awaited how-to manual for the post-Cluetrain world."

OK, wording is way different - but idea is the same.

TO'B

[Lari]

I hope these publications actually help to spread the word, it is about time these ideas are moved into the spotlight!

[MariaDavey]

Congratulations on the great reviews........I applaud you on a great website........keep up the good work !